


Age of Calamity Dump

by Ebony_McCloud



Category: Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity (Video Game), The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-25
Updated: 2020-11-25
Packaged: 2021-03-10 01:53:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,407
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27705826
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ebony_McCloud/pseuds/Ebony_McCloud
Summary: Exactly what you'd expect of me. A collection of incredibly mediocre one-shots I'll be posting to once every three million years while I avoid working on the projects that I should be focusing on. Beware of spoilers and an incompetent author.
Comments: 7
Kudos: 40





	Age of Calamity Dump

**Author's Note:**

> Look, we all know I don't own the characters, setting, and many of the scenarios. All I can claim to own is some of the minor changes I made (let's be real here, this is all heccin stolen). Yes, I know this isn't Era, yes I know I have multiple projects (I know better than you), and yes I know that you all want someone more qualified to write this kind of stuff.
> 
> Guess what. I regret nothing.
> 
> Now I'll shut up and you can read (beware spoilers if you haven't played the game). Wow, even I'm sick of my antics.

King Dorephan sat atop his might throne watching the Hylian entourage file into the room, presenting themselves before him and the Council of Elders. He was fascinated as he observed each of the knights take their place in a budding formation as they attended their Princess. Each one stood stiffly in line, a helmet held against his or her left hip and while the right hand rested on the hilt of a sword. How many hours must have been spent breaking formation only to immediately find their place once again?

It sounded rather dull, though it was effective if each knight's ability to find their respective place and stand at attention was anything to go by.

His attention was drawn away from the group as he noticed a familiar mop of bright blonde hair entering the room. The Hylian moved swiftly, just as his brothers in arms did; however, rather than assuming the stance they had, he placed his right hand over his heart and bowed his head.

Dorephan stiffened as he continued his silent observation of the Hylian. Apparently, his fellow knights had no idea how to respond when a single member chose to act even slightly out of character. The few around him were clearly trying not to show that they were paying attention, but their sudden inability to find a place to set their hands was rather telling. Some were so shaken that their hands flitted back and forth between their chests and the hilts of their weapons.

Hylia in heaven above, it was growing increasingly difficult to not laugh.

"Something wrong, your majesty?" Muzu, as attentive as ever, had noticed the slight change in the King's demeanor.

"Do you see Link?" Thankfully, none of his inner mirth had leaked out in his tone.

"I thought I saw him." Dorephan noted the slight note of contempt in his advisor's voice but chose not to comment on it. Muzu narrowed his eyes, searching through the ranks to find the Hylian in question. "At least the boy hasn't forgotten his manners, though his ilk seems to have…"

Again, Dorephan felt his chest spasm slightly as Muzu trailed off. He had noticed the same thing the King had and was apparently unimpressed.

Knowing that he was bound to break in some way, the King settled for a wide, welcoming smile as the Princess herself finally entered the room. The young lady made her way through the opening the Hylian knights had left in the center of their ranks. Two royal guards attended her on either side, looking quite grim as the Princess finally presented herself to the Zora King.

"King Dorephan, thank you for allowing us safe passage to the city and for your hospitality."

"The pleasure is all mine, Princess Zelda. It is not often that we are able to act as hosts for our allies." The king's eyes flicked back to the Hylian knight. "It is also not every day that we are able to welcome back one of our own."

Though Link's stance remained unchanged, his ears twitched ever so slightly at the statement.

"One of-" The girl stopped as Dorephan raised a hand to silence her.

"I know why it is that you have come and I intend to discuss the matter of the Divine Beast with you. But, there is a matter personal to my people that I must address first. Link," he called, "attend."

The blonde youth gave no indication of surprise as he immediately broke rank and approached the throne quickly. He came abreast Zelda's personal guards and resumed his stance from before.

"Welcome home, old friend."

The youth looked up, a small smile breaking his stoic facade. It was quick to fade as Dorephan continued.

"Ordinarily, I would have liked to celebrate your return with a bit more fanfare, but I'm afraid circumstances will not allow for it."

The Hylian Princess, as well as her guards and knights alike, all stood flabbergasted as the King addressed Link. It was almost amusing.

"King Dorephan, may I ask what it is you mean?"

"I suppose it would be unreasonable to expect you to know," the King mused. "Very well. After the death of his father, Link and his mother fled here. I granted them asylum until arrangements could be made to see them to Castle Town safely."

Unfortunately, the grief of her late husband's death, as well the dramatic change in diet and climate led to a deathly illness overtaking the boy's mother. The woman had been unable to name any living relatives and had expressed extreme reluctance to send the boy to an orphanage. Having children of his own, the Zora King could empathize with her plight.

However, he was not the only one who had taken an interest in the boy. Mipha, his eldest child, had taken an interest in the young Hylian and had pleaded the boy's case. Though he would not admit it to anyone other than his most trusted friends, Mipha did have him wrapped around her webbed finger.

Thankfully, the boy's father had instilled a work ethic into him, along with an expectation that he would have to earn his keep. So, when the time came to finally make a decision as to what should be done with him, the King had made a radical decision. Rather than sending the boy away, he had opted to grant him citizenship within the Domain, giving the boy the accompanying rights and protections.

As well as the responsibilities.

"That is correct," Muzu stated with a pointed stare at the Hylian in question. "I hope you have not forgotten your responsibilities to our people."

Link responded with a firm shake of his head.

"I presume you know a bit about the situation we face," Dorephan stated before Muzu could start harping on the young knight.

Link nodded.

"Then you know that our forces are stretched to the breaking point."

Again, he nodded.

"Then you also know that our knights often pull long shifts in order to protect our people and that we have been forced to enlist a new generation of knights as well." He didn't wait for a response before continuing. "I understand that you have your duties to the Hylian people but I cannot afford to expend such a skilled warrior. Do you understand?"

Link looked up, locking eyes with the King before giving a solemn nod.

"Forgive me, King Dorephan, but this is highly unorthodox."

The King raised a brow as he sized up the Hylian captain that had spoken up. Even sitting, he towered over the man yet the captain stared back at the Zora King defiantly. It was either bravery or stupidity that had led to the outburst.

Possibly both.

"Do you mean to tell me that it is unorthodox for King Rhoam to command his knights?" Sergeant Seggin stepped forth to address the Hylian captain. Though Dorephan could not see his face, he could hear the glower in his voice, and judging by the captain's hesitance, it was something to behold.

"Link is st -"

"Enough."

The Zora King was impressed, to say the least. When the Princess had first entered, he had not expected her to be one who could rein in her guard should they have become rowdy; however, a single word had been enough to silence them.

"King Dorephan, I empathize with your predicament, as our own army is spread thin trying to repel the monsters. While I respect your authority over him while we are here, I must ask that you allow him to return with us when we depart."

He sat in silence, regarding the Princess and her request carefully. He was hesitant to make the boy the center of yet another conflict between the Zora and Hylians (the Divine Beast had already done a magnificent job of straining their relationship) yet the encroaching hordes demanded he make use of every resource available to him.

What to do?

"We shall discuss the details later." Now was not the time, especially when there were more important matters to see to. "As I said, our forces are stretched thin. Many of the royal guards have had to leave the Domain to assist on the front lines. The guard that we do have are now pulling long shifts to protect myself and the Domain. Even so, my daughter still has her duties, some of which take her outside the safety of the city. You will attend her, Link."

The boy looked up, an unasked question in his eye.

"I believe she will be on her way to the reservoir." The bright blue eyes lit up with recognition. Despite being away for some time, he was still familiar with the city. What a relief. "Now go."

The Hylian nodded, gave a deeper bow, then turned away sharply and made his way out of the throne room quickly. Though he often wished the boy would loosen up every once in awhile, he did have an appreciation for how quick the boy was to respond to direction.

All eyes were on Link as he left the throne room.

"I take it you wish to appoint him to the Royal Guard," Seggin stated.

"I do."

"He'll make a fine addition."

"… I shall see to the preparations for his ceremony," Muzu sighed.

"Now, about the Divine Beast," Dorephan boomed, bringing his audience's attention back to himself. "May I assume that we must develop a selection process to name a pilot?"

"Well…"

Dorephan felt ice forming in the pit of his stomach as an awful sense of foreboding overcame him. The Hylian Princess' inability to meet his eyes told him that he was going to be far from pleased with what he was about to hear.

* * *

Mipha walked gracefully along the bridge, enjoying the mild warmth of the day. Despite how busy her morning had been, she now found herself with some time to think. Though her father hadn't outright confirmed that the Hylian Princess was visiting to discuss the Divine Beast, the Zora Princess was far from naive. Her father's reservations concerning her interest in the ancient machine were not unknown to her, and she had caught him trying to hide things concerning it from her before. Granted, she knew it wasn't her place to pester him about such things. Still, she found the Beast endlessly intriguing so it was not unusual for her to toe the line of acceptable behavior when it came up in discussion.

That may have been why she had been excused from the discussions altogether, which was quite abnormal for her father. As his firstborn, and thus his successor, she was often required to attend when foreign dignitaries visited the Domain.

In spite of the knowledge that she was missing the opportunity to hear more about the Divine Beast and its potential pilot, Mipha found it difficult to concentrate entirely on the topic.

Earlier, as she was finishing her preparations to head out to the reservoir, she had caught sight of the Hylian emissaries. Though she had been too far away to make out their individual details, her attention had been drawn to a line of knights marching through the main road. Even though she knew there were more important things to be doing, she had allowed herself to imagine that one of her best friends was marching among them. That, at some point during the meeting, he would find a chance to break away and come find her. Perhaps, she could show him the Divine Beast and share all of her theories of it with him.

Of course, all of that would have to wait until after they had caught up and she'd had the chance to check him for any injuries he had sustained.

Much to her dismay, she had allowed herself to fantasize so much that her guard had asked if something was wrong. Thankfully, a stammered "no" was all it had taken to end the discussion.

The odds that Link, who by her estimations had only recently finished his training, would be assigned to a mission of such importance were astronomically low. While even the Demon Sergeant recognized Link's skill, how likely was it that the Hylian forces would? From what she understood, it took years, often decades, for a knight to earn the prestigious honor of accompanying King Rhoam and Princess Zelda. As with any rule, there were a few exceptions; however, she wasn't going to bank her hopes on Link being such a case.

Even so, she did allow herself to dream just a bit. It had been such a long time since she had last seen him, and there was so much she wanted to tell him. Besides, it was a rather long walk to the reservoir and she needed something to occupy her mind. This time, though, she was certain to not lose herself so much that her attendant would notice again.

What would she show him first? Probably the Divine Beast. Assuming that he was the same boy as the one who had left, he would be nearly as enthralled with it as she had been. The Zora Princess had held onto a few precious memories in which the young Hylian had drug her around many of the ruins that were contained within Upland Zorana.

Those were happier days.

What next?

As she tried to pick from a variety of things, the Zora Princess noticed that the footsteps that had signified the presence of her attendant had changed. The fact that her guard had changed wasn't unusual. What was unusual was that the slap of webbed feet on metal and stone had been replaced by the thud of boots.

As a result, Mipha experienced a small surge of adrenaline as she turned sharply to confront whoever was behind her. The small surge turned into a tidal wave as a familiar pair of warm blue eyes greeted her.

"Link?"

At the sound of his name, the Hylian's blank expression softened considerably, giving way to the barest smile.

Careful to not draw too much attention to her hand, she took a single claw and pricked her palm with it. There was an uncomfortable pinching and piercing sensation, but she was able to confirm that she was most certainly awake.

"You're here." Though it was intended as a statement, it sounded ridiculously like a question.

Link nodded.

She had just spent an embarrassingly long amount of time thinking about what she would do once he finally returned and now, all she could do was stare at him dumbly.

"Hey."

His voice, raspier than she remembered, snapped her out of her stupor. Glancing around quickly to make sure there was no one around to witness them, she stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him. "Welcome back," she murmured.

After a second, he returned her embrace. "Thanks."

Deciding to let go before she made him uncomfortable, she stepped back and sized him up. "You have grown quite a lot. I remember when you were only this tall," she stated as she held a hand at gill level.

"You're short."

"And you have not changed a bit," she clucked playfully. She smiled as he chuckled. "I hope you do not mind my saying that your uniform suits you well." While she meant every word, she was of the opinion that he would look much better in a Zora knight's attire.

Mipha's face burned as she realized where that stream of thought had led.

Link's smile slipped into a troubled frown. The young knight closed the small distance between them and set a hand on her forehead. "Are you sick?"

"No!" she responded quickly, taking a deep breath to calm herself. "Sorry, I just had a rather strange thought cross my mind."

Link tilted his head, just as he always did when he was curious.

"Please, there is nothing to worry about."

The Hylian knight shrugged but didn't press the issue any further. Regardless, she was desperate to put that little episode as far behind her as possible.

"I'm surprised that your superiors allowed you to leave."

"The King excused me."

The Zora Princess wasn't sure whether to be annoyed with her father or grateful to him. He had long since known of her fondness for him and even liked to tease her about it every once in a while. Even so, she had no doubt that he hadn't simply excused Link to do as he pleased, especially during such a dangerous time. If she had to guess, he remembered Link's status as a Zora citizen as well as she did and had decided to use that as an excuse to buy them some time.

Her one, and rather major problem with this philosophy, was that she didn't want to spend time with him because he was ordered to.

That being said, she couldn't simply ask him to disregard her father's orders. He would obey them absolutely.

The Zora Princess would simply have to make the best of it.

"Tell me, how was your training with the Hylians?" she asked while guiding him toward the reservoir.

"Fine."

"Fine? Are you unhappy with them?"

"No…" There was a pregnant pause as the Hylian summed up his thoughts. "I miss home."

It was good to hear him refer to this place as home, even after so long away. "We… I have missed you too," she confessed.

She could feel his smile. It was far warmer than she remembered.

"How're things here?"

"They have been difficult." She considered saying more, but she had no doubt that he was well aware of the situation and that it was no different than his own. Mipha was also hesitant to darken the mood further by speaking of things that both of them could do little about right then.

"Sidon?"

"Oh, yes!" The Zora Princess rounded on her new attendant, giving him a rather withering frown. "I am glad you brought him up as I have a few words about the example you set for him a few years back." A small part of her was rather pleased that she had managed to shock the Hylian knight. All that had really happened was his eyes widening, but it was still an accomplishment. "Ever since you left, he has taken to slipping away from his guards and getting into some sort of trouble or another. Hylia forbid the Bazz Brigade gets involved."

Link's gait had slowed, his shoulders inching upward ever so slightly.

"It makes me wonder what sorts of trouble you got yourself into while you were here. Hearing some of his stories does explain some of the wounds I healed back then," she said pointedly.

A hand absently found its way to Link's head as he rubbed his head. "Sorry."

"You should probably sit down and talk to him about being more careful. For all we know, he might decide to try and fend off a monster the next time he sneaks away."

"Sorry." She calmed herself once again as Link looked thoroughly abashed and apologetic.

"No, I'm sorry," she murmured. "I did not mean to lecture you. I simply worry about him. I remember what it was like to follow you and the brigade around. I worry that maybe one day, he will get hurt and not even my powers will be enough to save him."

"I believe in you."

Her heart fluttered slightly. Such a ridiculous response to such words but she couldn't deny that they struck a chord in her. "For what it is worth, I believe in you as well."

Another bout of silence fell over them as it began sprinkling. She considered turning around, as such weather was indicative of a more serious rainstorm on the horizon. Then again, Link had acclimated to the Domain's climate long ago. Of course, it was rude to make assumptions as to what Link was comfortable with enduring. She was about to ask when Link finally broke the silence.

"Did you ever figure out if Muzu was dropped?"

"Link, that is highly inappropriate." She wasn't able to keep from giggling, which provoked Link to press further silently. "Very well. According to Sergeant Seggin -"

"Lady Mipha!"

The Zora Princess froze, turning around sharply. A Zora knight sprinted toward them desperately.

"Lady Mipha!" he called again.

"What is it?" she asked sharply as the knight reached them.

"The Domain-" he panted "the Domain is under attack!"


End file.
